Darkest Light
by pretty in orange
Summary: When a new girl comes to the circus, Trowa finds he may be in over his head, because despite her bright attitude, she's the darkest light... TrowaXOC T for language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This was started at the request of my loyal reviewer, FanFictionFiend. I haven't written with Trowa a lot, so, like the bumper sticker, tell me how my driving is.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this. But I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her ok?

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><p>"Who is she?" Trowa eyed the girl that Catherine had huddled over protectively for the last half hour.<p>

"She's my understudy!" Catherine gave the smaller girl a nudge towards Trowa. "Go ahead, introduce yourself, sweetie, he won't bite."

The younger girl, who was probably closest to Trowa's age, smiled up at Trowa. "I'm Andie Tru, It's nice to meet you Trowa!" She stuck out her hand, a bright smile on her lips.

Trowa shook her hand, but then wandered over to the lion's cage.

"Don't worry, he's just a little shy." Catherine soothed, but Andie was far from deterred.

Andie walked over and stuck her hand in the lion cage, unafraid. Catherine was just about to grab her and yell at her, but then the lion licked her fingers and rubbed on her hand much the same way it did with Trowa.

"Animals only bare their teeth at enemies, right?" Andie smiled up at Trowa, her eyes sparkling and fearless.

The boy blinked in surprise at this new development, and then the right corner of his lips twitched up in an almost smile.

Catherine kept her distance, but smiled at the interaction. She mumbled to herself, "So Trowa's found himself a friend..." She turned half away and _pretended_ not to pay any attention them.

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><p>"Here, hold it like this..." Catherine positioned the rubber knife in Andie's hand. "The weight won't be right, but if you start with this, you're a lot less likely to hurt anyone, including yourself."<p>

"Alright." Andie flashed Catherine a smile and looked at the knife.

Catherine continued to instruct Andie in how to throw the knife.

Trowa stood in a corner, observing. Even Catherine, who had been in the circus her whole life couldn't tame the lion the way he could, and Andie had. Who was this girl? Trowa pondered for a moment, but was jolted out of thought when something hit him square in the forehead.

"Good job, Andie!" Catherine cried through her laughter as she retrieved the rubber knife. "Now let's try not hitting him."

"Can you hold really still, Trowa?" Andie called out.

Trowa nodded and moved to the correct position.

Andie pitched the fake knife hard, hitting the tent material high up and between Trowa's legs. Even stoic Trowa had to gulp at that.

Catherine got a bad case of the giggles at that point; laughing so hard she nearly fell over as she picked the knife up. Andie smiled her innocent little smile at Trowa; she obviously didn't notice the sweat beading on his forehead.

"Okay, aim for..." Catherine trailed off and began giggling again. "Sorry, sorry. Ok, aim for either side of his knees, the bottom of either side of his ribcage, and by his ears." Catherine clearly couldn't resist adding, "Someday you'll do this with real knives, so let's try not to hit Trowa anywhere that he might need in the future... near or distant." Catherine took a deep breath so she wouldn't laugh again.

Andie turned back to Trowa and winked. That was when Trowa knew by Catherine's standards, he was in this for the long haul.

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><p>AN: A short first chapter, as is typical of me. The rest should be longer because hopefully they won't be handwritten first, like this one was. Anyway, will you tell me how I did? It's my first time writing something big with Trowa, so I want to know how I can do better. Thank you so much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm pulling an all nighter and I want to add to this at least once more before I pass out, or become unable to write. So here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this. But I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her ok?

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><p>"Trowa, have you seen Andie?" Catherine was panicked, a duck without her duckling. "I can't find her anywhere, what if something happened to her?"<p>

"She's with the lion." Trowa nodded towards the tent that the lion cage was in.

"She's worse than you with that giant cat!" Catherine cried as she ran for the tent. "Andie? Andie!"

Andie stood in front of the lion cage, both arms all the way into the bars, hugging the lion. "You would protect me if you could, wouldn't you?" She whispered to the cat, which nudged her in response.

"You need to stop getting so close to that lion, it will turn on you eventually!" Catherine attempted to yank Andie away, but the younger girl dug in her heels. "Andie, come on. Now."

"I don't want everyone to get hurt." Andie mumbled. "I don't know how long I can be here, how long I can do this without someone getting hurt."

"What?" Catherine asked, but the next response she got was no clearer, nor any response after that.

Finally, Catherine realized she needed help. She fetched Trowa and convinced him to talk to Andie and figure out what she meant.

"What's wrong?" Trowa surveyed the girl as he waited for a response. She didn't look insane, as Catherine had been worried she was. Andie stood straight, and though her eyes were worried, she didn't look as if she had fallen off her cookie.

"You wouldn't understand." Andie flashed the same smile she always did, but this time it was hollow, without meaning. "No one does."

"Catherine is worried you've lost your mind." Trowa added in a moment of truth. "Do you have some condition that we need to know about?"

"It's not a condition, it's a situation." Andie sat against the lion cage, letting the big cat lie against her back. "Anyway, you won't get it, you're too normal."

Trowa raised an eyebrow; normal he was not, that was for sure.

"I can't tell anyone, it'll just put them in danger." Andie rubbed her eyes, trying to maintain her smile. "I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me. If they find me, they find me."

"Would you at least like to give me a hint as to what you're talking about?" Trowa sighed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just do me a favor?" Andie finally managed to get her façade of a smile up. "If something starts to happen here, make sure Catherine gets out safe."

"Sure." Trowa nodded. "I can do that."

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><p>The next few days seemed like the first, Andie was smiling again, working her way up to real knives, and everything seemed ok. At least, to everyone but Trowa. He could see how much Andie was hurting, that she was definitely hiding something much darker than she could stand to share.<p>

"Your hands are shaking." Catherine murmured, holding Andie's hands in a motherly way. "What's wrong, are you scared? You can't hurt anyone with these rubber knives, I promise."

"I... I just need to sit down." Andie's smile faltered and she crumpled to the ground.

"Let me have a moment with her." Trowa motioned for Catherine to leave the room, and she did, though she gave both of the others a curious look as she did so.

"I already said, I can't tell you anything." Andie muttered, rubbing her head. "And I'm fine, so don't ask. It's just stress, I'm always stressed."

"Are you working for OZ?" Trowa whispered, trying to make sure no one else in the circus heard him.

"No. They wish I was." Andie laughed, a bitter sound that was unnatural to her usual bubbly demeanor. "I can't talk about it though, too risky."

"If OZ comes, I'll take care of it." Trowa locked eyes with her and nodded. "Don't worry."

"I won't." Andie stood and plopped the wall of a smile on her face. "In anyone else's eyes, I never worry. I'm fine."

"You shouldn't push yourself." Trowa shook his head and headed for the door.

But something like that could never be the end of such a conversation...

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><p>AN: Second chapter after an all-nighter, but I like it. What do you think; after all it's your opinion that counts. Tell me how I did in the reviews, please, and thank you for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Well, my all nighter backfired and I fell asleep on the floor for four hours. Typical me, huh? On the upside I get to work on my fanfiction now instead of just passing out at 7. Also, a reader question, Trowa does have Heavyarms with him, but I couldn't find a place for this on the timeline I know of Gundam Wing so far, so it's not canon in the time fashion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this, but I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask me if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>"May I ask why you're so scared of OZ?" Trowa asked as he stood in front of the target, letting Andie practice on him.<p>

"You can ask but I won't guarantee you an answer." Andie was worn out, sick of everything, and not smiling for once. Catherine had had to go deal with a problem in another tent, leaving Andie alone with Trowa.

"Are they after you?" Trowa blinked at her, expressionless as always, but didn't move an inch.

"You could say that." Andie tossed her last knife into the air and caught it. "Nobody's keen on betrayal though, really."

"You betrayed OZ?" Trowa's eyes went just a little wide; this wasn't what he was expecting from her. He had expected some minor discrepancy that made her paranoid, not a full out betrayal of OZ.

"Lets just say I didn't agree with their values as much as I thought I originally did." The girl took aim and threw her final knife, missing Trowa's outline by a good foot and a half. "Damn it!"

"Here..." Trowa pulled the knives from the target and stepped towards her. "Hold it like this." He handed her a knife and positioned her fingers around the hilt the same way Catherine held it. "It's not as hard as it looks."

"Thank you." Andie waited for him to return to the bull's eye and then gave him a smile. "I've always wanted to be in the circus."

"Right." Trowa nodded, unsure of what to say, put his arms out to his sides.

"How's it going?" Catherine walked into the tent and then took her place behind Andie. "You're nervous, I can tell. You're holding it right, just..." Catherine pulled Andie's arm back. "Throw it like the spot you're aiming for is the only possible place it could go. Don't focus on anything but that spot, ok?"

Andie did as she was told, and the knife stuck in the wood beside Trowa's ribcage.

"Good job!" Catherine clapped enthusiastically and grinned. "We'll move you up to two knives now... just-"

"Catherine!" The manager called from outside the tent. "Catherine come here, now!"

"Coming!" Catherine shook her head. "Wait for me, just take a little break. I'll be back in a minute." She stepped outside of the tent and away.

"So you betrayed OZ? How?" Trowa relaxed his position and stepped away from the target.

"They don't like it when you fight their orders." Andie twirled the knife in her hands. "And I'm not one to kill needlessly. Though if someone needs to die for many people's safety, then they need to die. I'm not against killing as much as I'm against death that doesn't mean anything."

"You know who I am." Trowa sighed and crossed his arms over his chest again.

"Yeah. Gundam pilot." Andie shrugged and closed her eyes for a long moment. "You're a good guy though. Animals don't tend to be so enamored with evil, it smells bad to them."

"You know a lot about animals for a former OZ pilot." Trowa studied her, the knife was relaxed in her hand and she was very still. She looked half like a beautiful statue, half like a soldier ready to kill.

"I was good with them as a kid." Andie shrugged and opened her eyes slightly. "When I was 12 I used to help out in a vet's office. I'm nowhere near as good with them as I used to be."

"You're good with the lion." The Gundam pilot nodded toward the lion, which actually seemed to be pouting that Andie was so far away.

"If he was truly mad he wouldn't be so tame towards me. I used to be able to calm animals like a second nature, but it wore off after I joined OZ." Andie shook her head, remembering. "Trust me, if Mr. Lion over there was seriously pissed, and I tried to calm him down, I wouldn't emerge with all of my limbs."

"What was your mission that you betrayed OZ in?" Trowa watched her as she began to twirl the dagger again, though she did it almost as if she didn't realize what she was doing.

"We were supposed to eradicate-" Andie paused her and rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, cleanse, a colony and I, along with my best friend at the time, thought it was the shittiest idea ever. We both decided on a change of job after that fiasco, but we were never really forgiven for having different ideals. That happens when you're a subordinate."

Trowa didn't add anything, and a few seconds later, Catherine walked in, rolling her eyes.

"Sometimes, I swear, this place would fall apart if it wasn't for us girls." She heaved a sigh. "Alright, sweetie, are you ready to move up to two knives?"

Andie exchanged a look with Trowa, and then smiled at Catherine. "I'm ready for anything."

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><p>AN: I actually have a lot more work I want to do tonight, since I'm not going to go to sleep for hours. But anyway, I love every review so tell me what you think. Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: First off, thank you to Alexa-Voultiri and Truish who put this on alerts. Thank you, both of you, you keep me writing! On a bit of an odd note, the soundtrack to this chapter was the song "Circus" by Britney Spears, and if you want to listen to it, it might enhance the chapter to you. If you don't though, that's ok too, no big deal.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and I make no profit from this, but I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>"Catherine's sick?" Trowa tried to peek around Andie and into Catherine's room. "We've got a show tonight."<p>

"She wanted me to take over for the night." Andie gave a slight smile and a little shrug, as if to say, "What do you think about that?"

"Do you think you can do it?" Trowa wasn't sure what to think of this new development; after all, Andie had only gotten up to three knives in her practice. "And what's wrong with Catherine?"

"She has a fever and she's having trouble breathing." Andie glanced back at the door to Catherine's room. "She told me that it isn't uncommon and she just needs to rest for a day or two."

Trowa kept silent for a moment. One of two things were going to happen in his mind; either Catherine was going to come out of her room and say she could manage, or he was going to practice with Andie for the next two hours before the show to make sure she could get up to five knives and not kill an audience member. Or him for that matter.

He stared hard at the door, but it didn't open, and an all-too real cough came from inside.

"Come on." Trowa motioned for Andie to follow him. "We're going to make sure you can do this."

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><p>Catherine smirked to herself as she heard Trowa and Andie walk away. This hadn't been her plan, to get sick and <em>have<em> to bail, but it worked perfectly for her master plan of getting the two teenagers to trust each other. She coughed again and rolled over in her bed. As long as no one died, it would work, she was sure.

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><p>Andie held the knives in her hand, the way that Trowa had taught her in their 2-hour practice session. The crowd was silent, they'd never seen this girl before, and they didn't know what the outcome would be. She looked too young to be throwing knives.<p>

Andie flashed Trowa her bright smile and threw the knives. They landed in the wood in a perfect outline of Trowa.

The crowd cheered, Andie smiled a little brighter, and Trowa couldn't help but smile a tiny smile.

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><p>"Is that my dress?" Catherine blinked as Andie walked into her room later that night.<p>

"Sorry." Andie giggled slightly, for once she was happy. She had done something right. "I just wanted to let you know everything went perfectly. I didn't kill anyone, and Trowa didn't even get cut up a little bit."

"Good job, kiddo." Catherine sat up and hugged the younger girl tightly, being careful not to breathe on her. "You used all five knives?"

"Trowa helped." Andie smiled, her eyes brighter than they had ever been. "He made sure I could work with five knives before we actually had to do the show."

"I'm glad you two are getting along." Catherine turned away to cough.

"You get some rest." Andie tucked her best friend in and headed for the door. "I'll come check on you in the morning."

"Alright, thank you for telling me what happened." Catherine gave a little wave. "Goodnight, sweetie. Sweet dreams."

"Yes, goodnight." Andie waved back. "You too."

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><p>AN: Just a sweet little thing of a chapter, but don't worry, you'll see a flashback of what happened in those two hours in the next chapter. Will you please tell me what you think? I love hearing from my readers!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I actually got one fiction chapter done, but I didn't want to work too late on it, so I decided to come back over here since I knew what I was doing. Quick thank you to someone who added this onto their alerts recently, thank you StormyMonday! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far as well, Alexa-Voultiri, Cavallo1985, Patriot16 and Truish.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing (big surprise) and I make no profit from this. I do however, own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her.

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><p>Andie tossed and turned in her bed, memories filling her head. The worst ones fought for dominance, but the best one won out in the end... though it had a twist this time.<p>

"_Don't hold it like you're going to stab someone."_ _Trowa shook his head and gently repositioned Andie's fingers around the knife. _

_Andie's breath caught and her fingers tingled with his touch. Trowa's hand slid down her arm and gently pulled it back._

"_You want to pull your arm back with just enough tension that you can give the knives some force." Trowa squeezed his fingers into her arm lightly, and then let go. "Don't put so much tension into your arm that you hurt yourself."_

_Andie nodded and flashed him a smile, because that was easier said than done. "Why are you helping me so much Trowa?" She asked as he returned to the target._

"_Because Catherine would want it." Trowa put his arms up and gave her a nod. _

_Andie spread the knives, at least she was up to her final five now, and pressed her lips together._

"_Don't look so nervous." Trowa soothed. "The more tense you feel the worse this will be. Relax."_

"_Are you going to be mad if I stab you on accident?" Andie was trying to keep her smile up, but it was impossible. Her heart was going faster than a hummingbird's wings, or so it felt, and the sweat was beading on her forehead._

"_You won't." Trowa assured her. "Just throw them."_

"_Alright..." Andie tossed the knives, but she quickly became aware that this was _not_ what had really happened. Each knife was stuck into Trowa's chest or stomach, blood seeping out._

Andie sat straight up in her bed and peeled the blankets off of her. She had been a killer, but never face to face. As far as she was concerned, slicing someone's mobile suit in half with them inside was one thing, whereas killing them in hand to hand combat was another. Or in cold blood, that was definitely another.

She became aware of a presence in a few moments, and she pulled a gun from her nightstand and pointed it at the person in question.

"What is that line, don't bite the hand that feeds?" Trowa stepped out of the shadows and held up his hands. "There was an OZ carrier coming close to here and I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"You're supposed to be making sure Catherine gets out alright, not me." Andie shoved the gun back in its drawer and sat up straighter. "Did they come here? OZ?"

"Went straight past." Trowa headed for the door. "Catherine was asleep last I checked, but didn't you want to check on her? She will be waking up soon."

"Yes, I'm going now." Andie pulled a large sweatshirt onto her tiny frame, so huge on her that it looked like a dress, and darted out the door.

Trowa blinked, and then his lips twitched at the corners. She had inadvertently given him a chance to search her room and check her story.

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><p>Andie knocked lightly on Catherine's door, and then peeked inside. Catherine was clearly asleep, her arms around one of her pillows in a deathgrip. She was whimpering in her sleep, a sure sign of a nightmare.<p>

"Triton..." Catherine whispered, hugging the pillow tighter.

Andie slipped through the tiny crack and shut the door behind her. She perched herself on the very edge of Catherine's bed, holding her hand. This woman had done so much for her, convinced the circus to take her in, made sure she felt loved and at home, and now all Andie wanted was to make sure that Catherine was alright.

"It's just a dream." Andie murmured, holding Catherine's hand with both of hers. "It's a dream, it's not real..."

"Oh, God." Catherine's eyes fluttered open, and though they looked wet and shiny, she wasn't crying.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Andie stood quickly, as if to leave, but Catherine pulled her back down.

"You didn't, it was just a bad dream." Catherine held her hand, her motherly gene taking over. "I'm fine, it's not a big deal."

"How do you feel?" Andie touched her forehead lightly. "Your fever is gone."

"I'll just have a little cough for a while." Catherine sat up and glanced around. "I can do the show tonight, don't worry about anything, ok?"

"I could've handled it." Andie smiled brightly at the girl she looked up to, like a big sister, and then glanced toward her room.

"Something wrong?" Catherine glanced that way too, though she hadn't heard anything.

"I... forgot to do something." Andie stood up and edged towards the door. "Get a little more rest before you get up, I'll see you later, ok?"

With that, Andie bolted out the door and towards her room.

Catherine blinked. For all that girl's good nature, she could still be so strange sometimes. She was perfect for Trowa.

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><p>Andie got to the door of her room just in time to see Trowa close the door behind him. "What were you doing in my room, Trowa?"<p>

"Checking out your story." Trowa regarded her with his usual, expressionless look. "You'll be happy to know everything checked out."

Andie reminded herself several times that she wasn't a violent person anymore, but the anger was too much. She drew back her hand and punched Trowa hard in the face. "You do not go through a woman's belongings, or anyone's belongings for that matter! You perverted little asshole! You bastard!"

Trowa was silent. This girl reminded him so much of Catherine, her usual soft demeanor with a touch of a temper.

"If one thing is missing, your ass is grass." Andie slipped around him, into her room, and slammed the door behind her.

Trowa blinked, and then walked away as quickly as he could. As much as he liked Andie, he wasn't ready for any more of her anger.

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><p>AN: About this chapter: I really liked the momentary reversal of the roles between Catherine and Andie, and the proven fact that Andie cannot be bubbly and happy and sweet all the time. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm hoping you'll drop me a review before you go. Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm starting this chapter with no clue as to how it's going to go, and I really don't feel well, so we'll see how this goes, I guess...

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and I make no profit from this. However, I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>"What is wrong with you two?" Catherine sighed. She was supposed to be practicing with Andie, but after her third coughing fit, Catherine had been forced to sit down and observe.<p>

"Nothing." Trowa and Andie chorused, but Trowa looked just a tiny bit nervous and Andie's forever smile was M.I.A.

"Trowa, you're usually a good liar. Something's going on." Catherine turned towards her understudy. "You've never been a good liar."

"If I have to throw one more knife, I may kill him and you wouldn't be able to prove whether it was accidental or not." Andie blurted out in a moment of white-hot anger. She was still furious with Trowa for searching her room that morning.

"Trowa, what did you do?" Catherine shook her head. "I don't picture you as the type to do something to make your friends angry... but then again..." Catherine thought back to Trowa's almost self-destruct and sighed. "Will someone please tell me what is going on here?"

"Can't." Andie threw her knives in such a way that it looked random, but each knife was millimeters away from hitting Trowa. "I'd get thrown out of this circus so fast my head would spin."

Catherine's eyes narrowed and she rubbed her temples. Her head was pounding from the tension in the room, and she didn't want to deal with her adoptive little siblings right then, it was just too difficult.

"You know about my mobile suit, right?" Trowa interjected, and Andie turned towards him, annoyance in her eyes.

"Yes." Catherine straightened up in her chair and looked at Trowa. "What about it?"

"Well, I work for..." Trowa struggled for a way to explain this that wouldn't get Catherine in trouble. "A colony group. But there are people who oppose my group..."

"I used to be one of them until a particularly bad incident where I was against my fellow troops." Andie went to retrieve her knives, ignoring Trowa until he shut up. "But I wasn't forgiven for my little rebellion, so they've been after me." She struggled to pull her knives from the wood; they were deeply embedded this time. "And Trowa here didn't believe me that I wasn't working for them anymore and he searched my room-"

"I-" Trowa began but-

Andie kept talking. "Without my permission!" She gave up on her knives and stalked over to Catherine. "That's why I'm pissed off at him, if he had just asked I would've let him and I wouldn't be this mad!"

"Trowa-" Catherine began, but this time Trowa cut her off.

"I didn't realize that was the problem." Trowa strode over to Andie and put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm-"

"Don't touch me." Andie backed up, moving behind Catherine's chair.

"Alright." Trowa didn't want to argue with this girl, so he stepped back in compliance. "I'm sorry, I should've asked you, even if I didn't trust you."

"You just don't want to be on my bad side." Andie huffed. "You want me to be that cheery girl that you met when I first came here. I'm human. I can't be that." Andie stalked away.

Catherine stood. "I'll go make sure she's ok." She started towards the tent door but she started to cough and Trowa eased her back into her chair.

"I'll take care of this." Trowa held Catherine down into her chair for a moment so she wouldn't get up and chase him. "Trust me." with that, he followed Andie out of the tent.

As he followed the path she had taken, he heard screams and shouts, though he didn't have a clue as to why people were upset...

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><p>AN: A bit of a cliffhanger. The next chapter should be up tonight unless my net goes wonky again. Anyway, what did you think? I'd love to hear from my readers. Also, thank you to StormyMonday for the review on chapter five! Thank you everyone for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I actually kind of wanted to finish this story tonight, but I have too much to go to do that. I'm still hoping I can get it around Troublemaker length, but I don't see that happening, I think it will be on either side, too low or too high.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this, but I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>Trowa raced towards the animal tent, where Andie had gone, and when he reached it he saw the source of everyone's fear. The lion was loose, though it was in almost semi-calm state. Andie was trying to ease the lion back into its cage, but every time she tried the lion either bit or scratched her.<p>

"Stop screaming!" Andie yelled at a group of girls in particular. "You're not helping, everyone just go!" The lion clawed at Andie again, and this time she made an art of dodging it, though in the process the lion followed her and got further from its cage.

"Andie, hold still." Trowa made his way over to the lion and gently rubbed its mane, trying to distract it from the girl bleeding in front of it.

"I don't need your help." Andie made a face as the lion leaned down to lick a wound on her leg. "I can do this by myself. He's just playing... and terrified."

"Let me help." Trowa continued scratching the lion's neck, and was able to lead the lion into its cage. He turned back to Andie and sighed. "You're hurt."

"And the stars are bright, would you like to state something else, captain obvious?" Andie followed Trowa to the rooms, despite her bad attitude about it.

"Let me bandage your wounds." Trowa was digging medical supplies out of a first aid box.

Andie bit her lip. She knew she wouldn't be able to do it herself, and she would've rather had Catherine do it for her, but she didn't want her "big sister" to worry in her condition.

On the other hand, she didn't want to strip off her shirt and jeans, as ripped as they were, and stand in front of Trowa in her underwear. And if the wounds weren't bandaged properly, they could get infected.

"I really don't think you can do this yourself." Trowa had the circus size rolls of gauze and medical tape in his hand, along with an array of disinfecting products.

"If you turn into a pervert while you're bandaging me up, I will kill you and have no regrets." Andie sighed as she stripped off her shirt. She realized she had several good-sized scratches on her ribcage, which were dangerous enough, but she was pretty sure the lion had cracked a few of her ribs. Not that that was unforgivable, after all the manager had tried to use a whip on the lion.

Trowa was as gentle as he could be, scrubbing out the scratches, putting antibiotic ointment on them, bandaging the scratches and broken ribs. He could feel Andie flinch every time he touched her, making it painful for both of them.

Finally, it was over. Trowa had given her some of his clothes to wear so she didn't have to wear her bloodied and ripped clothes to her room.

"You're a good person." Andie wouldn't look at him, and she was shaking, still clearly in pain.

Trowa pulled her into a hug, being careful not to hurt her. "I try to be." He whispered as Andie relaxed in his arms.

He tried to be for good people like her.

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><p>AN: I'm actually wondering if that's thunder. I think I have to get off for the night, so I can't answer reviews, but I'd still love to hear from you! Thank you for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Well, I feel stupid. Anyway, I think I can type a few more chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing, and I make no profit from this. I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>"<em>Now<em> what's going on between you two?" Catherine asked as she watched Trowa and Andie lock eyes and stare at each other for a good two minutes.

"I'm not mad at him anymore." Andie twirled a dagger in her hand absently. "We've hit coexistence I think."

"Agreed." Trowa relaxed and leaned against the target, arms crossed over his chest.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Catherine stood, coughed a bit into the crook of her arm and then took her annoyed older sister stance, hands on hips and head tipped slightly down and to the right, staring down both of them.

"Nothing." Andie shrugged, but looked away from Catherine. Andie had been a horrible liar her whole life, and it was better to leave this to Trowa as long as he wouldn't spill the beans about her injuries.

"We've just realized that neither of us means any harm." Trowa gave Catherine a small smile to try and calm her nerves. "Friends don't need to fight friends."

"Right." Catherine's eyes flicked to Andie, taking in the way she flinched when she took a deep breath. "Sweetie, are you hurt?"

"Just a catch." Andie straightened out, trying her best not to flinch again. "It'll go away in a minute."

_Or not. _Trowa thought to himself. Despite their great strides in friendship since Andie had gotten injured and Trowa had bandaged her up, Andie had shied away from having those bandages changed. Trowa could tell that she still didn't trust him, not yet.

"Something isn't right here." Catherine flicked her gaze between the both of them, waiting for an answer. When she didn't get one, she walked out to find an answer elsewhere.

"I'm screwed." Andie sighed, sinking into what had been Catherine's chair and hugging herself. Her ribs ached, her cuts burned, and she had refused any pain medication since the injuries. She didn't want Catherine finding out about it and questioning her when she couldn't lie worth a damn.

"You need to let me clean your wounds, rebind your ribs and bandage your wounds again." Trowa walked over to her and stood behind her chair, hands laid gently on her shoulders.

"I don't want Catherine to find out. She doesn't need to worry about me." Andie shook her head a bit, trying to ignore Trowa's touch on her shoulders. Even through her long sleeved shirt, his touch made her skin tingle.

"You're tough, but if those wounds get infected, that can and will kill you." Trowa gently took her hand and led her towards his room.

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><p>"I hate you." Andie muttered as she walked out of Trowa's room, though she didn't mean it. The bandages felt too tight, though Trowa had assured her they were fine, and she felt like she could barely breath through the bindings he had put on her ribs. This time he had forced her to take some Tylenol, the mildest thing she could take for injuries of this measure, and Trowa had convinced her that Catherine wouldn't find the missing bottle.<p>

"You don't hate me." Trowa rolled his eyes, unworried at her aggravation. "You shouldn't say that unless you mean it."

"I feel like I should hate you." Andie leaned into him; she had started to see him as part of her new circus family instead of a potentially perverted guy.

"The Tylenol will kick in soon and then you won't hate me." Trowa slipped his arm around her shoulders, for the first time realizing how small she was compared to him. He was at least half a head taller than her, and she was thin as a rail.

"You're not going to tell Catherine, right?" Andie murmured, looking up at him.

"Not going to tell me what?" Catherine put her hands on her hips, but her glare was specifically for Andie this time. "Not going to tell me what, Andie?"

A pause. Andie knew that Trowa couldn't get her out of this, and she couldn't get herself out of this.

"I got attacked by the lion a couple days ago." Andie flashed a smile in an attempt to cool Catherine's temper. "I'm really ok. Trowa's been taking care of me."

"Trowa's been seeing you naked." Catherine was only getting angrier as the conversation went on.

"No, not exactly." Andie's voice had become small and soft. "We haven't done anything, Catherine..."

"She's under my care now, Trowa." Catherine pulled Andie over to her, even in her rage being careful not to hurt the girl. "You're too young to be doing anything of such a caliber with anyone." Catherine turned to Andie, "And I'm mad at you too, for letting him do that to you."

"We didn't do anything!" Andie shouted, loudly enough that several people stared at the three of them. "I wasn't completely naked, and Trowa was very professional about it. Don't jump to conclusions!"

"You're still under my care from now on." Catherine hugged Andie away from Trowa. "And you two better not have done anything, or I'll kick _both_ your asses." With that she half-dragged Andie away.

Trowa sighed and shook his head. _No good deed goes unpunished..._

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><p>AN: It had to happen at some point. Don't worry; Trowa and Andie's relationship isn't done growing. The next chapter should be up tonight unless my net goes wonky. I would love it if you left a review for me, so will you? And thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: This chapter has been planning itself in my head since the lion attack. It's probably the one I've been most excited about in this story so far.

Disclaimer: You know the drill; I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this. I do however, own Andie Rika Tru, so please, please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>Trowa couldn't sleep. He had been laying there in the dark for two hours, but he couldn't seem to shake the guilt from getting Andie in trouble.<p>

The result was severe insomnia.

His door creaked open, and there stood Andie, her hair styled by pillow, her nightgown and flannel pajama pants on.

"Is something wrong?" Trowa asked, tracking her every movement. As she shut the door behind her, he got a glimpse of half wiped away tear tracks on her face.

"Can I sleep with you?" Andie whispered, rubbing at her eyes. "I can't sleep alone right now."

Trowa blinked for a moment, he wasn't quite sure why she was doing this when it would only get her into more trouble with Catherine. But after a moment of both of them being perfectly still, he moved over to the left side of the bed so she could lie down.

"Thank you." Andie curled up beside him, at first being careful not to touch him, then, sleepily resting her head on his shoulder.

"Catherine will be mad if she finds out." Trowa murmured, and he couldn't help but wrap an arm around Andie. She looked so frail, so broken.

"Trust me." Andie brushed Trowa's hair out of his face. "Just trust me this time. I know what I'm doing." With that, her head dropped back down onto his shoulder, and she was asleep.

Trowa smiled, just a tiny smile, and finally drifted off himself.

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><p>"Trowa?" Catherine whispered as she nudged his door open just a crack. "I'm sorry I yelled at you and do you know where-" She paused as she saw them, really saw them.<p>

They looked like puppies, curled up together. Still fully clothed, they looked as innocent as children who had fallen asleep together.

Catherine inwardly sighed. They were only fifteen; she shouldn't have accused them of doing anything. Not when they were really so sweet together, so innocent. She studied the way Trowa's arm was wrapped around Andie, the way Andie had stretched out her right arm across Trowa's chest to hold his hand.

Catherine smiled and stepped outside of the room. She could apologize later, to both of them.

As she shut the door behind her, both of the younger teens rustled in their bed, barely awake.

"Was someone in here?" Andie sat up, looking towards the door. "Damn it, they're not here are they?"

"Hold on." Trowa pulled out a machine that he used to track OZ ships, and then shook his head. "It had to be someone from the circus."

"Catherine." Andie smiled and lay back on Trowa's bed.

"Then why aren't we being yelled at?" Trowa narrowed his eyes at her.

"Because." Andie tapped her temple and smiled a bubbly smile that Trowa hadn't seen in what seemed like forever. "Catherine and I think the same."

Trowa blinked, then mentally shrugged and lay back down next to Andie. If it worked, it worked, he figured.

But still, something was wrong in Andie's eyes, the way she looked at him.

Then again, there was something wrong with how he looked at her.

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><p>AN: This story is coming to a close soon. I would like each reviewer to vote, if possible as to who's going next, DuoXOC, or QuatreXOC. I'm not doing Heero, but the other two are who's left on my list. Anyway, reviews are very welcome, and thank you so much for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This story is coming to a close soon, though one specific event still has to happen before it can truly end. I don't know how many chapters this will take, but I am pulling an all-nighter tonight and plan to finish it up. But we'll see.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this. I do, however, own Andie Rika Tru, so please; ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>2 months had passed since Andie had joined the circus. 1 month of sneaking into Trowa's room to sleep beside him, exchanging glances with him behind's Catherine's back, and dodging Catherine's intrusive questions.<p>

That second month had been confusing for both Trowa and Andie. They hadn't been able to come to terms with why they were acting like this, but they knew there was something.

Trowa didn't want to jump to conclusions.

Andie didn't want to admit to anything.

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><p>"You two are so frustrating!" Catherine huffed as she twirled a knife in her hand. Her and Andie had been practicing a special trick involving making their daggers head for Trowa, hit each other, and go to his outline.<p>

"Trowa, go take a break." Andie waved him off and repositioned her fingers on the hilt of her dagger.

"I want to hear this." Trowa said, though he moved away from the target.

"There's so much romantic tension between you two, so much trust and-" Catherine shot a glare at Trowa. "You said you wanted to hear this, where are you going?"

"I'm taking a break." Trowa slipped out of the tent without another word.

"He didn't want to hear it." Andie sighed, tossed her dagger up high and caught it with one finger and her thumb. Even Catherine was impressed.

"Why don't you two just admit that you're in love?" Catherine sighed, pulling the extra knives from the target. "It's obvious. The way you sleep in each other's rooms, the way you look at each other at each other when you think I'm not looking-" Catherine paused as Andie glared at her. "You're not into visions of cute and fluffy love, huh?"

"I've seen too much to be into what society calls perfect love." Andie shrugged. "In this world, there's no such thing as perfect. There's violence and hate, betrayal and deadly arguments. I'm not going to admit to anything until I'm absolutely sure. I don't break what's not there in hopes of fixing it."

"Smart girl..." Catherine sighed. "And yet so stupid. He loves you. He's never looked at anyone the way he looks at you, treated anyone the way he treats you. He's protective of you in a way that he's not even of me. He holds you while you sleep; he takes care of you when you're hurt. He trusts you." Catherine froze her understudy with a look. "Make a move. Don't be so terrified when something's so clearly there."

"I'm not scared." Andie shot at her, her eyes steely. "I'm just... I know too much. And he could never love someone that was against him, even in the past."

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><p>Two weeks passed after that, two weeks where Andie didn't sleep in Trowa's bed, two weeks where she refused to so much as lock eyes with him.<p>

"What's going on?" Trowa stood in Andie's doorway, blocking her exit.

"Knock next time." Andie didn't look up from the clothes she had been folding and putting in her dresser. "Do you need something?"

"Did Catherine say something to you?" Trowa stepped inside, shut the door behind him and made his way over to her. "You're not acting right."

"I don't want to continue such a tease-relationship." Andie held up a dress that was obviously Catherine's and set it aside. "I know you couldn't love someone who has a past like mine, so can we just let it go?"

"No." Trowa pulled a beeping contraption out of his pocket and his eyes went wide. "Keep Catherine safe. You too." With that he raced outside to where he had hidden Heavyarms.

Andie blinked, taking in the realization that OZ was there, and then she bolted to Catherine's room.

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><p>AN: The end of this story is nearing! Thank you to StormyMonday and Truish for their recurring kindness and support for this story. I still love reviews, so if you leave me one I will surely respond... well, as long as you're logged in. Anyway, thank you for making it this far and I hope you read until the end.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I always think as I near the end of an OC story how I'll miss working with them. Anyone else ever feel that way?

Disclaimer: You know the drill, as always, I don't own Gundam Wing and I do not make a profit from this. I do however own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>Catherine and Andie could feel the explosions rock the ground under their feet, could see the flashes of light through the tent and hear the gunfire. But in about ten minutes, everything went silent.<p>

"Is it over?" Catherine whispered. "Is he ok?"

"Stay here." Andie pushed Catherine out of her mother-protecting-child stance and slipped from the room. Parts of the tent were ripped or falling down, and everyone looked stunned, but not hurt. Andie slipped out of the tent and peered around. Leos and Aries suits lay on the ground, slashed into pieces and riddled with bullet holes. There, standing in the middle of it, was Trowa's Gundam.

"Is everyone alright?" Trowa asked as he opened the cockpit.

"Yeah. Shocked, but ok." Andie rubbed her eyes, trying to make sure the tears never got out. They did anyway, and her bottom lip trembled too. "You're not supposed to risk your life for the enemy!" She sobbed, finally letting him see her weak. "If it hadn't been for that colony mission I would've been against you, Trowa, you shouldn't have defended me like that!"

Trowa hopped out of his Gundam and took smooth, measured steps towards her. "You are not the enemy and I don't want to hear that ever again." He whispered as he came up close to her.

"I-" Andie began, tears still running down her face, but she couldn't seem to find the words.

"Sh." Trowa ducked down and kissed her, making sure that she could easily step away if she wanted to.

But she didn't, because she never wanted to.

Catherine stood a ways away, snapping pictures with a camera. "This is definitely going to be a story to tell your kids one day, you two." She murmured, though mostly to herself, as she continued snapping photographs.

Meanwhile, Andie looked up at Trowa and allowed herself to admit one thing...

She did love him.

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><p>AN: This one is pretty short, but there will be an epilogue too. I'll start on that as soon as this one is posted, promise. Anyway, drop me a review, please and thank you, I love hearing from my readers. Thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around for the epilogue.


	12. Epilogue

A/N: Here is the epilogue, the end. If you still want to vote about who goes next with an OC, Quatre or Duo, you can but I'm going to go with majority wins. Also, did anyone ever notice Andie's initials spell ART?

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing and I make no profit from this, but I do own Andie Rika Tru, so please ask if you want to use her, ok?

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><p>"So you forgave the lion." Trowa murmured as he sat with Andie later that night, near the lion cage.<p>

"It wasn't his fault." Andie whispered, rubbing the lion's chin affectionately.

"What about me?" Trowa pulled her closer, his arm around her waist. "Are you still mad at me for searching your room? For walking in without knocking?"

"A) You were protecting who you love, and B) that wasn't a big deal anyway." Andie leaned against him, closing her eyes. "You're a Gundam pilot, do you seriously have time to hang around the circus? It doesn't seem rational."

"I can do missions from here." Trowa shrugged. "It's really not a big deal." He leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Besides," He added as he tipped his forehead to hers. "I want to be here."

"Why would you want that?" Andie was half teasing, but half serious. "I'm only going to cause you trouble, aren't I?"

"I'm a Gundam pilot," Trowa played back with a smile. "I'm trouble to begin with."

Andie sat up on her knees to kiss him again, and the lion roared as Catherine entered the tent.

"Hey, lovebirds, it's show time." Catherine laughed as she helped them both up. "Stop making out on the job."

Andie and Trowa exchanged a look, and neither of them could control their laughter as they followed Catherine to the main tent.

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><p>AN: All done, and it's not even ten. Anyway, thank you for making it to and through this ultra-short epilogue, and I hope you'll leave me a review. Thank you so much for reading!


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